Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones cannot use his personal bankruptcy to escape paying at least $1.1 billion in defamation damages stemming from his repeated lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, a U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday.

  • @Skwerls@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    22 years ago

    Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving “person”. This isn’t going to bring the kids back but at least it’ll stop people from fucking harassing the parents decades later. Jones is mentally fucked up and he deserves to be locked up.

    • fiat_lux
      link
      fedilink
      12 years ago

      He made very specific defamatory statements accusing fellow citizens / parents of murdered children of participating in a government conspiracy and those people were able to prove they experienced harm as a consequence of his words.

      The plaintiffs also had enough financial backing from (understandably horrified) strangers, and a high enough chance of winning for lawyers to want to represent them. Those factors allowed the plaintiffs to survive the legal system long enough to get a ruling, and the severity of the situation maintained their motivation to keep pushing for it instead of accepting settlement so they could somewhat move on with their lives.

      Sometimes, the planets align to create the trifecta of enough energy, money, and evidence to force the justice system into enforcing justice. And I am grateful that can sometimes still happen, as rare as it feels.

  • @Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    12 years ago

    They say this, yet he’s still making and spending to the tune of 100k per month and the courts aren’t doing anything about it. Rich people don’t get to go broke like the rest of us, he’s gonna keep living in a nice house and making millions and get away with not paying anyone, and the courts won’t do shit

    • @DogMuffins@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      12 years ago

      I can see why you would think this, but this is a very unusual case. Particularly so given the decision in this article.

      You’re dead right in that rich people don’t go broke like the rest of us - because they have accountants and lawyers set up complex business structures so if something falls over they can just walk away (or drive away in their nice car to their nice house).

      This article is pretty much saying that all that usual dance isn’t going to work in this case - he still has to pay $1.1b.

      Also, there’s no law that prevents him from going on making money. That may not feel “right” or just but that dynamic is the same even for poor people. That said, at 100k per month it would take him 916 years to pay $1.1b soo… he might curtail his luxurious lifestyle, maybe not.

  • PatFusty
    link
    fedilink
    02 years ago

    Not really understanding how this is considered justice.

    • @Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      02 years ago

      Nobody’s being made whole from this judgement I suppose. This isn’t the kind of thing where a physical object can be replaced.

      What’s your suggestion for how the court should have doled out justice?

      • PatFusty
        link
        fedilink
        0
        edit-2
        2 years ago

        Give out the state maximum punishment of $1k for punitive damages in connecticut… i think worst case is the $300k punitive damages for state of Texas or 1% of net worth if class action.

        I actually am not super familiar with the case but I dont think anyone on earth has a liquid $1B unless you are saudi royalty…

        But there were (4?) cases right? Each of the families got between 300M and 500M? Hes not the one that killed the babies, what kind of precedence are they trying to make?

        • ZeroCool
          link
          fedilink
          English
          12 years ago

          I actually am not super familiar with the case

          And yet you’re happy to lecture us on the appropriateness of the outcome. Interesting.

          • PatFusty
            link
            fedilink
            -22 years ago

            Do i need to know every detail of the case in order to make judgement? Ok sure

            • @T1000@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              12 years ago

              You should probably know what the case was about at least. Nobody said AJ killed anyone.